HighSchool DxD: The Void Redux
by PoyntFury
Summary: A wanderer since his childhood, Yuri has been ceaselessly heeding the will of an ancient power. Now, settling for a time in Kuoh, he'll soon find much more than he expected from the backwater city, and once old, buried memories force their way into his path, he'll come to realize that what's ahead will be far from pleasant.
1. Chapter 1

**HighSchool DxD: The Void**

 **Yep... it's back... the accursed first story that I ever attempted to write and post on FF... I've decided to come back to it... recently I haven't been interested in writing so I'm hoping to find my spark once more... I've changed the story up this time as well, so any of you who read it when it was first released, don't worry, you won't have to read a chapter that's already been posted.**

 **Enjoy.**

 _I hear it... the dreary sigh of the Void as its maw readies for the next sacrifice._

 _Yes... I feel its yearning... and yet I can do nothing for it._

 _I... its sole champion... am helpless and alone in its wake._

 _Yet... I feel no fear... there is only calm... like a cold courage that has washed over me._

 _Soon... I will know who it desires... who it yearns to consume._

 _Then it will give me another gift._

 _I need to be ready._

"MR. KALLEN!" Shouted a voice from the front of the room I had fallen asleep in. "I understand that you're new here, and that you aren't used to the time zone difference... but please refrain from sleeping in my class." The teacher growled.

"Yep... you got it." I mumbled back. _Why did I even come to this school? Is this where the next sacrifice is supposed to be? Ahh man... at least I have a place to blend in... but did it really have to be in bum fuck nowhere?_ Class ended shortly after, and I stretched my arms above my head, my eyes drifting to the ceiling, finding nothing of interest around me.

"Umm... excuse me, Mr. Kallen?" A soft whisper interrupted my lackadaisical mood. I removed my gaze from the ceiling to see who had requested my attention. It was a girl, but one I didn't recognize from the faces in my class. She was cute, with long honey-brown hair that cropped off at her shoulders, and wide, silver eyes. "Umm... my name is... Takamiya... Inori... and..."

I'm sure she continued her stuttered speech, but I had already stopped listening to her words, as I had found myself captivated with her face. _God... she's fucking cute... what the hell does she want with me?_ My thoughts were interrupted once more as she bowed her head in front of me, nearly bashing it against the edge of me desk.

"Eeeeppp!" She shrieked. Her high pitched cry rang sharply in my ears, and I put my hands up to see if she was hurt. "Oh shit... are you okay?" I asked. She immediately shot back up, her face filled with embarrassment. "I'm... I'm fine... I apologize, here I was getting ready to make a request of you, and I'm already making you worry about me." She pouted.

"It's nothing... my concern is entirely of my own volition. You said you had a request. I'll be more than happy to listen." I said. Her face lit up with joy, which was swiftly replaced with embarrassment once again. "Umm... well... I was wondering if you were seeing anybody." She said, her eyes seemed to struggle with meeting my own, which I found increasingly adorable.

"Well now... I'll admit that this is quite the surprise... I knew at some point that someone might ask me out, but I didn't think it'd be so soon." I chuckled. I extended my hand, and she took it, giving me a jolt of odd energy. _Is that...? No... she's a human, she just has an incredible life force._ I stood up from my desk, her hand still in my own, and grinned. "You know what? Sure... I'll go out with you." I said. I wrote my number on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

The mixture of joy and relief on her face was invigorating. She let go of my hand then dashed back to her desk where a friend giggled and congratulated her. She then sat down and began frantically asking her friend questions, to which her friend seemed to respond with earnest explanations or reassuring smiles.

The final bell for the day rang, signaling the end of school for us all. Inori and I exchanged a cheerful goodbye, and she ran to join her friend in front of the school. With no extenuating circumstances keeping me at the school, I began the short trek back to my apartment. The crisp air of the city was refreshing, and yet I could take no peace from it, what with the Void's soft whispers in the back of my mind.

I did my best to ignore it, and eventually found myself in my room, laying on my bed, flat on my back. _Ughh... I hate when I black out, even if it is only for a few minutes._ I stood up, then brushed myself off, a flurry of leaves and twigs falling to the floor. _I also like to run through obstacles rather than go around them... that's annoying..._ I opened the closet next to my bed, pulling out my vacuum and quickly dealing with the mess I had made.

After cleaning the floor and dumping the vacuum's canister, I threw myself back onto the bed, placing my phone onto the side table. I laid there for a few minutes in dead silence, listening to the Void as it whined softly. Another noise burst into my focus, my phone was vibrating softly on the table. I reached out and grabbed it, answering the call and tapping the speaker option.

"Hello?" I called out. [Hey... it's Inori.] "Oh, hey, what's up?" I asked. [I was talking with Miiya... my friend in your class, and she told me that if I was serious about dating you, I needed to act like it.] She said. _Serious? Meaning what? Her friend couldn't have told her she should try having sex already, could she? Well, even if she did convince her somehow, I can just tell her I feel differently, that should be enough._

"Alright, so what did you decide?" I asked. [Well... seeing as we have tomorrow off, I was wondering if you wanted to do something.] She said. "Do something, you mean like, go on a date?" I asked her. Her squeal of excitement was shockingly fierce, even through the speaker. "That's it!" She said.

It was rather apparent that she had found it difficult to use the word "date" so loosely, which wasn't surprising, considering that the Japanese have somewhat of a penchant for being distant, even to those that they're close to. I laughed. "Sure, tomorrow, right? That's sounds great." I said. I heard her sigh softly on the other end. "Alright, thanks... um... should we meet somewhere, or do you want me to wait outside your place?" She asked.

"Well... technically if we met up somewhere that isn't my place, you'd have to walk farther, so let's just meet here." I put the call in the background then pulled up my location on the GPS. "Here, I'll send you the apartment number and the GPS location, so you won't have to go searching." I said. After she confirmed the address that I sent her, we exchanged another goodbye, and ended the call.

I flipped myself onto my stomach, burying my face into my pillow and trying to contain my anxiety. "Was... that okay? Did I fuck that up? I hope not." I chuckled. Standing up with a short stretch, I looked into my mirror across the room. _Short, brown hair. Ice blue eyes with a pitch black ring around them. My face is alright looking... but honestly there's nothing about me that's really interesting... except maybe the fact that I'm a foreigner._

I contemplated myself for a few moments, before feeling myself fade. _"Interest... honest... nervous... deceit."_ Came the sudden invasion of words from the recesses of my conscious, breaking my stupor. "AAHH FUCK! Don't startle me like that!" I shouted. The Void groaned with disinterest at my distress. I thought about its words for a moment. "So... you're saying that she's honestly interested in me... but doesn't want to seem like she's pulling a prank?" I asked.

I wasn't sure if the Void truly understood my words... but eventually it replied. _"Vessel... bright."_ Came the response. "Uh-huh... well... anyway, I'm guessing you're here because you have a target for me?" I asked. _"Fallen... Black... Hunter... Female."_ I felt the words being burned into my brain. "A female Fallen Angel with black hair... hunting for something... very well... I know that since you've contacted me that I'll likely be meeting her soon." I said.

I felt myself push back into reality, I had never actually left, but my presence had been lifted and placed into the Void so it could commune with me. A yawn escaped my lips, and I turned my head to the side to face my window. "Wow... I was out for a few hours... huh... shit, I'm hungry. And tired... and dirty." I complained. I settled for showering first, then eating dinner afterwards. Feeling full and sluggish, I changed out of my uniform and into some lighter clothing, before finally falling into my sheets once more.

I felt a dream tugging at the edge of my sleep, but knew that it wouldn't make it. I forced my mind to be dreamless in order to be more attuned to the Void. It left me unable to dream, but kept me sharp when I needed to be... except in class apparently. I felt the last bit of the dream slip away, and I fell into a deeper slumber.

I woke up rather peacefully, my head clear and alert, which was uncommon, especially for mornings. I stretched out the kinks and slumped to the bathroom. After taking care of my daily personal hygiene matters, I ran my hand from one cheek on my face to the other, passing underneath my chin. "Hmm... should I shave... or keep it?" I questioned myself. I decided against shaving wholesale, and opted instead for trimming about an inch off of my goatee, as well as getting rid of my sideburns.

I rubbed my face, trying to find any lingering stubble. Feeling satisfied with the result, I made my way back into my room, taking a seat on my bed and twisting my back. I heard a long series of popping sounds, and was treated with the sensations to match. I stood to my feet once again, feeling a presence nearby. _Is that... a Fallen Angel... ugh... fucking disgusting creatures... all of them._ A loud chime broke my concentration, and the presence disappeared. _Is that Inori? Isn't a bit early?_ I made my way to the door wrapping my fingers around the cold brass doorknob.

 _I guess... I can relax for the day... right?_


	2. Chapter 2 - Simple Date

**Highschool DxD: The Void**

 **Chapter 2**

Oh, come on, nearly 8 months isn't too long to have to wait for an update... oh... actually it is... sorry.

It _was_ indeed Inori waiting for me at the door, dressed in a summer dress that was _almost_ unseasonal. She still looked quite cute in it, and I told her I thought so.

"Really... thank you... you look nice too, if I'm being honest... you also look a bit sleepy. If... if you need me to leave so that you can rest, I will." She said.

"I'm alright... how'd you get past the landlady? She's a little mean and not usually one to allow visitors." I said.

"Oh! She was actually kind of surprised when I said that I was here to see you, said that you had been really quiet and a bit of a loner." She told me. "Other than that, she seemed pretty nice... maybe you caught her at a bad time when you spoke to her last." She said with a shrug.

"Maybe... so you're the one who asked _me_ out... you have a plan for our date today?" I asked.

"Of course, you're pretty new here, right, I sort of figured that you hadn't had the chance to get to know Kuoh, yet." She said. "So I thought on our first date I could consist of me showing you to some of the fun places around here... since I doubt that you'd believe that there's anything interesting around here in bum fuck nowhere." She laughed.

I laughed in return, shrugging my shoulders.

"To be fair, this _is_ genuinely bum fuck nowhere... but I guess that's kind of this place's appeal." I said.

"Yep, nothing important really ever happens here, so for people like me and my family, who really like the quiet, this place is wonderful to live." She said.

Her arm snaked around my own, pulling herself closer to me. I felt another shock run through my arm, I nearly pulled myself away, but managed to control myself. I shook my head to clear away the energy, then spoke.

"I guess you're ready to go, then?" I said.

She had a deep blush on her face, as though she had only just then realized how forward she had been. After nodding, I began to press on.

"So, where to first?" I asked.

"Hmm... let's see... how about the coffee shops? If you're this tired in the morning, you might need this sort of stuff." She giggled.

"Coffee, huh? Maybe you're really taking me to a coffee shop because you rushed to make it here and skipped breakfast." I said, adopting a rather silly grin.

I had only been joking, but a soft rumble from her stomach actually confirmed my faux suspicion. With an even deeper blush than she had before, she clutched herself a little tighter to me, and increased her speed.

"Okay... you're not wrong... I am kind of hungry." She said.

"Well then, I'm guessing you have a favorite place to get breakfast from?" I asked.

"Yep... I'll lead the way." She affirmed.

The rest of the walk was a blur, luckily, Inori seemed either too nervous to try to start the conversation back up, or too hungry to want to waste energy talking. After a few minutes, she pulled me off from the sidewalk and into a small coffee shop. After some deliberation, Inori and I decided on crepes as our food of choice, she choosing a strawberry crepe, and I a dark chocolate one.

As we slowly consumed our food, I asked Inori about her life in Kuoh. She told me about how she was born weak, and didn't do well in the lifestyle that her parents had in Kyoto. After she turned three, and hadn't gotten any better, her parents decided that she might do better in a rural area, and they moved off to Kuoh after some consideration. After they got here, she started doing a lot better, and since then, had grown up living a rather normal life.

Then... she asked about me... of course she did... it was only natural that she would.

"I... had a relatively normal family... my Mother, my Dad, and my baby sister. I, uh... lived a pretty normal life until I was about eight... then my parents got divorce... uh... shortly after that... my Mother died, dunno how, to be honest. My Dad had won custody of my sister, Kaia, and I in the divorce settlement." I started.

"Umm... after about three years... my Dad... and Kaia, died in a house fire when I was out... I uh... I ended up with my Grandmother on my Dad's side for a few years... but after I turned fifteen... I decided I didn't want to be a burden on her... so I asked her to take the money from my inheritance that my Dad left me, put it into an account, and just send me money when I asked her for it." I explained.

"Wow... so how'd you end up here?" She asked.

"Well... I did a search of more... remote, rural locales in the US... but didn't find much that seemed all that appealing... so I started looking outside of the country... eventually, my search led me to Japan... and then here, to Kuoh. After a bit of a back and forth with the Japanese government... they agreed to let me emigrate to Japan, as long as I enrolled in a school." I finished. "My sole intent was to move here to find some peace of mind... to learn to let go." I added.

"Oh... sorry for making you tell me, I should have thought before I asked." She said.

I grabbed her hand and shook my head.

"No... it's probably best that I tell someone, rather than letting the pain stew inside of me." I said.

"Do you... miss your Mom? I mean you were kind of young when she left..." She asked.

"Kind of."

 _No_

"I guess no one could blame you for that... what about your Dad and Sister?" She asked.

"Well... I think... I've had enough time to start getting through it... I guess." I said.

 _I'll never get over it... not until... not until..._

"Yuri?" Inori's voice broke my stupor.

"Sorry... thinking about when I need to ask my Grandmother to send money next." I said.

"Do you have enough money to get by?" She asked.

"Oh... uh, yeah... my Dad was _really_ well off... I don't know the specifics... but I inherited _a lot_ of money... I guess I got my frugality from him... I don't like the idea of spending a lot of money at once." I said.

"I see... well, at least you have enough to survive, right?" She said, offering a reassuring smile.

"Yeah... I guess you're right." I said.

I felt a pulse of energy nearby... definitely a Fallen Angel, from the feel of it. I stood up, having finished my food, and told Inori I wanted to wash my hands. I walked calmly to the restroom, and closed myself in a stall.

"Void: Atlas." I chanted.

A small, top down map made of dark energy formed on top of my palm. A small red dot flashed near our area, moving along the street.

"Wow, they're close... I guess I should just try to avoid them for now, considering the circumstances." I said.

I left the bathroom after _actually_ washing my hands, then made my way to Inori. After continuing our conversation for a few minutes, I managed to convince her to leave.

The rest of the day was spent walking to different shops, a stop in a rather peaceful park, and finally getting dinner before I decided to walk her home. Her house was, fortunately, in a rather enclosed area, meaning that the Fallen Angel, even if they knew where I was, wouldn't try anything. Finally, she indicated that we were in front of her home.

"Sorry again, I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories." She said.

"No... not at all, I'm glad I talked about it with someone... I had a lot of fun today." I said.

"Lemme guess... but you think you'd rather be alone." She said.

"I think you managed to convince me that being with you is more fun than being alone... how about we do this again next weekend, since we have exams coming up, I figured we should probably use the week for studying." I said.

She looked at me, dumbfounded, with a rather large grin plastered to her face. She nodded wordlessly, then waved goodbye. With that, she nearly tripped several times trying to run back into her house.

I couldn't help but laugh as I made my way back to my apartment. She probably thought that she had done a terrible job of making the date interesting... but _she_ was who I had been focused on during our little adventure... I wonder if she understood that.

Finally at my apartment, I showered, and contemplated why exactly that Fallen Angel had been patrolling around, but really couldn't think of any answer that was satisfactory. I left the shower, dressed, and hopped on my bed.

 _Girl..._ The Void said.

"Inori? What about her?" I asked.

 _Girl... Red... Vessel... Dark..._

"Umm... Inori is... red? What the fuck does that mean?" I asked.

No answer, and any it refused to answer any query I posed after. I sighed, resting my head on my pillow, and letting a long yawn escape my lips.

"I'm tired anyway, and tomorrow's Monday... I need to be ready for class... fuck it... I'll deal with you later, Void." I said.

 _Well... at least things seem normal, for now._


End file.
